Shen Chen, director of the Winter Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies, talks about the significance of the curling stone featuring in the countdown in the Games' opening ceremony in Beijing on Friday.

According to Shen, curling is known as "chess on ice," and, as such, can serve as a metaphor for the wisdom of the Chinese. As it glides towards the center circle, the stone also appears to be symbolically breaking through barriers and entering a new world.